In U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,644 titled “High-performance riverboard system” inventors Geier and Veon described enhancements to what had previously been an informal sport, bringing it to levels of performance previously unachievable. In the targeted water sport system the user is enabled to maneuver a riverboard on the surface of flowing water. A special propulsion subsystem in the form of a resilient tether selected for its extreme elongation is used to secure the riverboard to an anchor.
To use the riverboard system, a rider moves the attached riverboard downstream from the anchor until all slack is removed from the tethering subsystem and then mounts the riverboard assuming a choice of standing, kneeling or prone positions. The weight of the rider keeps the riverboard in the water as the resistance of the riverboard against the water flow causes the tethering subsystem to become taut. As the rider shifts weight toward the rear of the riverboard, its front is uplifted, dropping its rear deeper into the water so as to present a greater drag that causes the elastic tether of the propulsion subsystem to stretch. When the rider then shifts weight by leaning forward, the drag of the riverboard against the water is reduced and the resilience of the propulsion subsystem attempts to restore the tether to its static, unstretched condition. This propels the riverboard toward the anchor. To assist a rider to remain in contact with the riverboard during a high-speed upstream ride, previous embodiments provided for a handle, similar to a ski tow rope, attached to a point in the front portion of the riverboard. Alternate embodiments of the riverboard allowed for various bindings to assist the rider to maintain a foothold.
With experience, riders of a high-performance riverboard system often choose not to use any form of handle or binding in order that they may be free to execute the freestyle maneuvers more commonly associated with surfing, snowboarding or skateboarding. To such experienced riders the attachment of the tether to their riverboard becomes an additional inconvenient and undesirable limitation. A first consideration is that as the riverboard approaches the upstream anchor point, that tether becomes slack and introduces some drag in the water that reduces performance resulting in a shortening of the duration of the ride. A second consideration is that the performance of the propulsion system is such that the rider and riverboard may be propelled upstream to a distance beyond the anchor that is greater than the length of the unstretched tether. For at least these two reasons, it would be advantageous for a rider to be able to disconnect the tether from the riverboard at that time during a particular ride when it is no longer desired for propulsion. Furthermore, it is preferred that the tether automatically disconnect itself from the riverboard after it has served its purpose. Additionally, a convenient method of reattachment is desirable, as are safety precautions associated with an unconnected tether that is lying at or just below the surface of the water.
These and various other novel features and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the related arts with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.